transportation

As for La Vega, you can go by CaribeTours or JavillaTours, they have busses from Puerto Plata.
It takes about 1 hour to Santiago, and then with stop/change of bus etc calculate almost another hour.
From Playa Dorada, you just go by a taxi and say that you need to go to any of the above, and they?ll take you there. You buy tickets just before you go,
right on spot.

For Samana, also buses.

There is also public gua guas ( small busses ), takes longer, overcrowded, many changes. For this alternative, that is very local, best is if you are a used traveller as it requires changes in guaguas..
From Puerto Plata you would change bus in Rio San Juan, Nagua, Sanchez and from Sanchez .....

Carina is right. A Caribe Tours bus leaves Puerto Plata every hour on the hour from about 6 am to 6pm for Santiago, La Vega and Santo Domingo.

There are no Caribe Tours or Metro buses to Samana from Puerto Plata. There is a maroon and white bus with a big Puerto Plata-Samana sign on the front that leaves Puerto Plata about 6:30 am. to get it, you need to be out on the highway and flag it down as it passes.